Four Kingdoms
by aspiringactor
Summary: "We are all connected in the great circle of life." -Mufasa Something festers deep within the universe. It's reach has travelled far, from the distant mountains of China, to the deepest depths of the world to the modern age. this threat is too great for any one hero to face alone. They must all stand shoulder-to-shoulder if they are to do what is necessary.
1. Prologue

The universe is full of constants. The sun will always rise. The trees will always grow. The stars will always shine. It has been this way for many years. That is the greatest constant of all, things are always the same, yet different. Something always exists in a form throughout time and space. That time could be the distant past, the far future, or the present moment.

We cannot always see the way things remain constant, but they always are. Spirits are not destroyed with their mortal host, they live on. They pass through time and space itself to reach a new host. A great King in one life may become a simple, but noble pauper in the next life. A savage beast may become the greatest of heroes. A man may step out of the shadow of his greater, because of a noble heart he gained from a simple thief.

That is the secret of all the universes, that there is only growth, never decay. Few know this to be true, for it is a well-kept secret.

A secret that must be exposed for the constants to remain. For they are all at the mercy of their own creation. The darkest constant throughout the universes is the constant of evil. Evil seeks to rid the world of everything it deems unfit for existence.

Which is to say, everything but evil itself. Nothing can escape its wrath. Not peace. Not love. Not friendship. Not bravery.

None of these noble virtues, or the great spirits who are defined by them, can escape this fate. For with every defeat the forces of evil have been faced with, they have grown stronger, less diluted. As if one had taken the poison from a hundred spears, and poured it all into a single cup. The poison, and the Evil, had grown stronger, merely biding its time. It had waited countless centuries to enact its plan, a plan which would spread like a horde of locusts cross time and space.

Cities would fall into deep shadow. The forests and the jungles would burn. Terror would spread throughout the world like an evil plague. And the master would be pleased.

**The fall:**

"Attack!" General Li Shang, commander of China's grand imperial army, hollered as he held his sword aloft high in the air. With a twitch of his legs, he spurred his horse forward, down the mountain-side. At his back was the single greatest army he had ever had the pleasure of seeing. They numbered at least forty thousand in total. Half of them where mounted on horseback, while the rest stayed on foot. All of them brandished bright, shining swords as they joined their commander's valiant charge.

Their roar was a terrible one, which sent shivers down his spine. He knew that any army would think twice about engaging them at the moment. For they were a determined lot. Like thunder, they poured down the mountain, screaming for the blood of their enemies in full. They would not be denied their victory, for so much depended on it.

For the last six months, China had been bombarded with raids and sieges that laid waste to the land. People had been forced from their homes, only to come to the capital and warn the Emperor of the invading forces. At first, they had been vague in their description, citing unholy demons and half-men to be their enemy. And not that Shang had a chance to see his enemy up close, he found those descriptions to be rather accurate.

The men, or rather, the monsters, stood at least seven feet tall, dwarfing even the looming, yet peaceful Chein-Po in terms of stature. Their arms rippled with thick muscles, as did their backs and torsos. Each seemed to possess the strength to lift a horse with ease, as Shang had seen them do so on several occasions. The truth was, they terrified him. Their strength and utter brutality made him quiver as much as the sound of their crude swords passing through the bodies of his soldiers. But he could not think of that. Not while the enemy line was so close. Not when he was about to lead his men into an all-or-nothing final charge against this barbaric horde of demons.

"For the Emperor!" Fa Mulan, his wife and trusted co-commander shouted as she spurred her steed alongside his. Perhaps not the wisest tactical manouver. But he appreciated the gesture, it showed her devotion to him, both as a captain and as a Husband.

"The Emperor!" Three voices behind them shouted. He did not need to look back to see who they were. Three soldiers who never gave up on him. Who always had his back. Through thick and thin.

How ironic it was that he had once been ashamed of the four people, the four soldiers, who now lead the valiant charge by his side. Who now, he was as willing to die for as they were for him. He certainly would need them, as he braced himself for impact. He slowed his breathing as he swung his sword back and forward again, timing his strike perfectly to bat aside a long pole-axe. In an instant, he was driven into a bloody mess, as his horse impacted straight into one of the beasts. The beast fell back, while his horse was killed instantly, only bucking Shang off at the last minute.

He shook his head, momentarily confused. This gave one of the demons enough time to raise it's sword-arm in preparation to slice his head off. But, it never got that close, as a gleaming blade pierced its chest. The Demon fell to the ground, writhing as Mulan stepped over its corpse, ducking a blow from another Demon. This one, Shang was prepared for. He thrust his blade forward, through the creature's chest, allowing it to topple. In the brief moment that followed, Shang took in the situation. He could see that his charge had failed to drive the enemy back more than a few yards. Already, he could see that his own troops were being driven into tight circles, and assaulted from all sides. Less than a minute into the carnage, and already Shang was considering ordering a retreat. He had never heard of a commander doing that before.

But the lives of his soldiers were more important than eternal shame.

"Fall-" he began, only to have something hard hit him on the back of the head. A daze came over him. The world began to move in slow motion. He couldn't see straight. And there was no sound anywhere in the world. He was only vaguely aware of his surroundings. Someone to his far left cried out in pain. He turned his head slowly, seeing the man's head flying in the air. No one he actually remembered by name. But by the look of the uniform, the man was a new recruit. Probably fresh out of training and now thrust into the thick of battle.

Doomed to die. Like the rest of them.

Something grabbed his shoulders. He looked up. Two of the demons had him tight. They were pulling him towards the centre of their ranks. The possibility of them recognizing him as the leader, and therefore sparing his life to ransom it crossed his mind. But he quickly realized that was unlikely. He would most likely be beheaded by the leader. He shook his head, seeing that his wife was being dragged alongside him. She raised a battered and bruised head in order to look at him with a hopeless expression. He tried to reach for her, but found that the distance was to great. And his hand was swatted aside by a looming giant.

A giant which raised a blackened sword high into the air. It swung downwards. But Shang never paid it any attention. Instead, his attention was on the strangest sight he had ever seen in his life. Two men, one in simple cloth and the other in thick bronze armour. Their attire was outlandish, but that was not what caught his attention. No, what caught his attention was their mounts. The smaller man was riding what looked like a tasselled blue carpet. And the larger man was riding a white winged horse.

The larger man leaped off his mount, straight into the thick of battle. He landed with a _thud! _that shook the ground like an earthquake. Everyone, including the demons, where knocked to the ground. Shang took the opportunity that he was given, and leaped to his feet. He grabbed two fallen swords, one of which he tossed to Mulan, who had his left flank covered. Together, they slashed away, making a clear path to the center of the conflict, where the bronze-armoured man was lifting one of the demons into the air with one arm. While with the other, he drove three beasts back with his sword.

"Hercules!" the carpet-mounted man shouted above the roar of battle, which had resumed. "Get what we need, and get out of there! There's too many!"

"I'm working on it!" the large man, who Shang assumed was 'Hercules', replied with a hoarse shout as he tossed the demon he was holding away, and scanned the battlefield. Immediately, his eyes seemed to fall on Shang and Mulan. "Aladdin I found them!" He called out, "Pegasus!" On command, the winged horse spun in the air at an impossible angle. It zoomed past its rider, who somehow managed to swing himself onto the saddle. Before Shang could react, he found himself being hoisted into the air alongside the large man. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the carpet-riding man, Aladdin, grab ahold of Mulan. And just past them, he could see the rest of his army being driven into a hasty retreat by the enemy. The last thing he saw before the mountain obscured his view was his three most trusted generals mounting their horses, and speeding off into the distance.

xxx

Something was off. He knew it.

The birds still sang their songs.

The ants still crawled at his feet.

The water still sped down the river as it always had.

But still, something was indeed very wrong. At first, the Lord of Apes thought it was just a passing feeling. Like perhaps he was too close to a predator, or had strayed too far from the beaten path. But those feelings passed in due time. This one did not. It gnawed at his very soul. Something unseen was in the air, all around him.

And although the Lord of Apes did not know what it was exactly, he knew it was troubling. And that was why he was going to the smartest man in the whole Jungle to figure out what it was.

"Ah! Tarzan, my boy!" Archimedes Q. Porter, a diminutive, brilliant, yet sometimes absent-minded professor proclaimed in a high-strung tone of voice. "Just the man of the hour! I have a need of your services!" Tarzan simply smiled as he leaped down from the tree he had been perched in, landing on the outskirts of the Professor's outdoor laboratory, which resided near the base of the house that Tarzan's family had built.

It was a small encampment, full of puzzling contraptions that the Professor had done his best to explain to Tarzan, who had lived his whole life in the Jungle. And unlike the many things that he had been able to learn and understand about the outside world, such as flying contraptions, pants, governments and the concept of being 'civilized', Tarzan had never understood any of what the object did. Why did one need to measure the amount a worm digested? Why did one need to capture a butterfly to study it?

Regardless, Tarzan continued forward, with the feeling still eating away at him.

"What do you need, Professor?" Tarzan asked as he strode confidently into the camp.

"I seem to have depleted my stock of-" Porter began, as a loud crash erupted through the Jungle, proceeded only by a frantic-looking young woman with stunning features. The woman was Jane, and Tarzan had never seen her so scared in all her life. And for such a steely woman, who regularly encountered the many dangers of Jungle life, to look so frightened, it was enough to rattle Tarzan into fierce action. He pulled out a sharp stone knife as three beasts burst through the thick foliage.

A blur of motion ensued, as one beast, the only one Tarzan was able to recognize, battled fiercely with the other two, which were of a species that he did not recognize. The one animal, a young Lioness, was much faster than the towering creatures that she battled. They, unlike any animals other than man, wielded tools. Gigantic clubs, to be exact. Clubs which pounded the ground around the Lioness darted between them, swiping at them with her claws. The commotion engulfed the camp, as Jane and her father made their way towards the house, while Tarzan decided on engaging the threat head-on. Against his better instincts, he battled alongside the feline predator.

He jumped into the air, and landed on one of the beast's back. Using his stone knife, he sliced into the creature's neck, finding more resistance than usual amongst the thick muscles of the creature. It took several minutes for blood to start flowing, and when it did, Tarzan was surprised, for it was thick and black, unlike that of other creatures of the Jungle. It oozed out of the wound like sap from a tree.

But the effects where still the same. The creature Tarzan had mounted let out a painful dying roar, as its companion landed a blow on the darting Lioness. The force of the blow sent the predator flying into a tree, as Tarzan eyed the second beast with contempt. It, like its predecessor, stood on two legs, almost like a man. Yet it was much more than that. It had thick limbs, larger than that of Tublat, a crazed ape who had even managed to fell Kerchak on one occasion. Letting out a bestial roar, the monster charged Tarzan with fury, intent on ramming him like a rhino.

But Tarzan was much faster than it was. He leaped to the side, and into a tree. This gave him the leverage he needed to land a blow to the back of the creature's head. And unlike his previous attack against the companion, this blow was an instant kill. The creature fell to the ground, dead as Tarzan landed beside it. He looked over the fallen animal, curious about its nature. His curiosity continued, even as Jane and the Professor came to his side. Both a little shaken, but unharmed.

"Tarzan…" Jane muttered softly, as her hand touched his shoulder.

"I'm fine," he replied stiffly as he moved his attention towards the lioness. She was slumped against the tree she had been thrown against. As far as he could tell, she was unconscious but unharmed, except for several bruises along her left side. Lions, in his meagre experience with them, had proven to be tough. One, he recalled, had withstood Kerchak's wrath without flinching many years ago. It had been a simple territory dispute, after the so-called 'Lion King' had driven a pack of Hyenas deep into the Jungle. "Tend to this one," he said as he motioned for Jane to come over.

"But, Tarzan, she could be-" Jane began to say.

"Lions, unlike Cheetahs and Leopards, can be reasoned with," Tarzan replied stiffly as he attuned his ears, listening for sounds of more of the beasts. "They are proud, mind you. And dangerous when provoked, but reasonable. Perhaps she can tell us more about these two," he said, as he motioned back towards the fallen beasts, who were being examined by the Professor, who bore a concerned expression.

"I would not be so sure about that, my boy," Porter said firmly, losing the happy tone he usually had. "I doubt any animal would know what these are. Neither would most scientists." Tarzan didn't miss what the Professor was saying, not by a long shot.

"But you do, Professor," Tarzan said as he made his way back to the man, "don't you?"

"No," Porter clarified. "Or, at least, I didn't until a few minutes ago…..an old colleague of mine, did believe in them, however. Thaddeus Thatch, my American equivalent," the diminutive Professor continued as his brow became furrowed as he seemingly delved deep into the recesses of his mind. "Unfortunately he passed away some time ago. But not before badgering me with stories of a long-lost civilization hidden deep beneath the surface. Codswallop, if you ask me. I-"

"Hidden worlds?" Tarzan asked with a slight shrug, "You mean like Pelucidar?"

"I….well, yes," Porter stammered as he rested his chin in his hand. "Thaddeus is survived by his only Grandson, Milo Thatch. Who, last I heard, was in the employ of one Preston Whitmore. If I could contact him, I might be able to get in contact with him." Porter continued his spiel of muttered words as Tarzan once more looked over his Jungle. The fear in the pit of his stomach had gone. He now was certain of what kind of danger they were in. And all he could do was wait for it to come to him.

xxx

"Kim, I've got a really bad feeling about this…." Ronald Stoppable, an awkward-looking twenty-three year old dressed in a black top and dark khaki pants quipped as they two of them dropped deep into the museum in the middle of the night. Half an hour ago, they had been contacted by the owner of the museum after a silent alarm went off. And now, they were going to investigate, as apparently the police were otherwise occupied.

"Relax, Ron," Kimberly Possible, a lithe young woman said as she stepped out beside him. Unlike her partner, she looked the part of a secret Agent. Her uniform was form-fitting, and adorned with all sorts of high-tech gadgetry. And all of it had been paid for by various wealthy individuals as a thanks for her services in completing assigned missions. And of course, all donated technologies had been improved upon by her brothers and resident computer wiz Wade, making them all the more deadly. "If something bad happens, whip out your Monkey Kung-Fu."

"Very funny," Ron remarked as he lit his flashlight. "Ha Ha Ha. You're hysterical, Kim," he continued as they rounded a corner and entered the Fossil wing of the Museum. Out of the corner of her eye, Kim spotted Ron's pet mole rat, Rufus, quiver at the sight of two fossilized Dinosaurs, one an Iguanodon and the other a Carnotaurus, engaged in a mock-up battle. "I'm dead serious. There's something fishy going on here. Think it could be Draken and Shego?" Ron asked, mentioning their old nemesis duo in the process.

"I don't think so," Kim shrugged as they continued down the hallway, and out of the fossil room. Now, they were in early settler territory, which was were the break-in was rumored to have occurred. All around, she could see evidence of an intruder, or several. Muddy tracks lined the entire room. But they weren't boot tracks. More like bare feet tracks, which struck her as odd. Almost as odd as the single smashed display case, that contained mostly junk, in her opinion.

A few old crates marked with 'East India Trading Company', as well as seamen gear, like a brass telescope and a rusty sword. Nothing worth steeling, in her opinion. Maybe the sword could fetch a few hundred dollars at an auction, but nothing more than that. Which was why she leaned inwards, towards the list of items that were supposed to be on display in the case. Perhaps the item had been small enough to not leave any trace.

As always, her intuition served her correctly, as she saw that a compass was missing. But that really did nothing to sooth her perplexed mind. Why would someone go to all the trouble of stealing a compass in a word filled with G.P.S systems, which were far more accurate?

"Ron," she asked as she straightened her back, "were does the brochure say this stuff came from?"

"Hm?" Her partner replied with a slight stupor, "Here and there across the Caribbean mostly. Hawaii too," he shrugged as he walked over to her side. "Supposedly this stuff in the case all came from a ship called_ 'The Black Pearl'."_

**Just to get this out of the way: I have not seen every Disney movie/T.V episode there is. So sometimes I may ignore 'cannon' material by accident. You should only consider the original film(s) when judging character/backstory, unless a character from one of the 'sequels' is included. But that does not mean that they may not be referenced. (There were several in this Chapter. Let me know if you want a complete list of 'canon' movies/tv series). **

**And concerning the 'Demons,' they are completely original characters/creations (Though partially inspired by Tolkien's Uruk-Hai in appearance.) **

**Please don't forget to read & review! (Only if you like it, of course!)**


	2. Strangers Like Me

It hadn't taken them long to finish their investigation at the Middleton Museum. Easily under three hours. Three hours of scourging over minute details, like fingerprints and footprints, glass break patterns and security footage. The latter of which had been completely clean. Which told her that either their target was invisible, or had hacked the camera footage. She decided to go with her gut on this one, and explore the former idea. Mainly because of the large claw like foot-print they had discovered by the entrance.

Ron had been quick to point out how similar it looked to a dinosaur's footprint, and he had been right. Partially. She had cross-examined the footprint with several of those that belonged in the museum, and found some major differences. The toes were too long, as were the claws. And the walking pattern suggested that the creature was upright and bi-pedal in the same way that a human was. Unlike most dinosaurs, which were either Quadra-pedal or bi-pedal and top-heavy. So it definitely wasn't a dinosaur, but definitely reptilian. And not to mention very, very large.

"Give it to me again, Wade," Kim said as she sat, hunched over her laptop on board the privately-owned jet that was currently crossing over the Atlantic Ocean as fast as it could. She ran a hand through her ginger hair, while the other tapped against the wood. The robbery of the Middleton Museum troubled her more than she had let on to anyone. Priceless jewels had been on display, as had meteorite fragments. Any of those were worth more than some random compass off an old shipwreck. So why had the robbers taken it, instead of literally _anything else?_ It was obvious: They were after something better than money. And that never boded well.

"All I can say is this," Wade replied from the other end. "Sources say that the compass belonged to the Captain of the _Black Pearl. _No records of that ship exist, not in anything I've read in the past few hours, at least." Kim sighed, knowing that if Wade couldn't find something, then it was probably not there. Most likely it had been the work of old colonial governments, destroying records of pirate ships, so as to get rid of the legends that surrounded them. History was written by the victor, after all. Not the loser.

"Thanks anyway, Wade," Kim sighed as she closed the laptop. As soon as she did that, she rubbed her temples, feeling her exhaustion. She had only slept for three hours since the break-in, and those hours had been restless due to the jerking of the plane. She hoped they landed in Hawaii sooner rather than later, because she did not know how much more of this she could take. She got to her feet, and began to make her way to the head of the cabin.

There slept her boyfriend, along with his pet mole-rat Rufus. She smirked slightly, at how cute they looked together. Rufus was tucked under the blanket, close to Ron's heart. They breathed in tandem, passing the moments by, and Kim watched them with growing sadness. It was something that went on unsaid between the members of Team Possible. And it had been that way for a while.

Rufus was getting old.

She could see it. Wade could see it. Her brothers, Jim and Tim, could see it. The only one who seemed to deny it was Ron. He never said a thing about the way his best friend had gotten slower and slower in the past year. About how his reflexes weren't what they used to be. About how his mind seemed to be a little slower. Whenever he wasn't in Ron's company, Kim would see him really begin to show signs of his age. He would hardly move, if he could help it. He ate less and less, at least one-quarter what he used to. Kim did her best, though. She did everything the books said to do when caring for an aging pet. But in the end, she knew it would all be for naught, really. Eventually, Rufus the Naked Mole-Rat, who was as much a part of Ron's life as she was, would die one day. And that hurt her deeper than she would ever have imagined on the day Ron had first introduced them.

Gently, she re-adjusted the blanked, so that it better covered the two of them. As she did so, she swore she could have seen Rufus open his eyes a little, and give her a small wink of appreciation as he snuggled in closer to his best friend. Kim smiled as she straightened her back and looked out the window, just in time to see the tiny island of Hawaii off in the distance. It was no more than a blip on the horizon, but there was no mistaking it.

Especially given the plume of volcanic smoke rising from it. That would definitely prove to be a hurdle which she had no idea of how to overcome. There was no way the plane would be able to get through smoke that thick. Even if the pilot could fly them through it, the volcanic dust would tear the engines apart in seconds. Then she'd have to bail the pilot out as well as land in searing hot-conditions. Not ideal. She decided to take her chances elsewhere.

"Ron!" she shouted, forcing him to alertness. "Grab a chute! We're going in hard!"

"Wha?" Ron said, as he shook himself awake, running a hand through his hair as he did so. "We there yet? I…._GAHH! _ The Island's on fire!" She saw him quickly stuff Rufus into his pocket as they both made a mad dash for the exit, were the parachutes where located. She slipped one on her back and yanked on the door's handle hard. "You sure about this?" Ron shouted over the roaring wind that whipped at their faces.

"Not really," Kim winked back as she prepared to jump. "Tell you what," she continued wryly. "If I'm wrong, you can pick the next place we go sky-diving." She finished before leaping out into the empty air. Gravity overtook her as she plummeted towards the earth at an astonishing speed. She angled her body, slicing through the air at an angle of descent that would bring her over one of the Island's many beaches. Down below, she could see small boats transporting islanders from the shore, to a larger cargo ship not far away. _Good, _she thought as she reached for the parachute release, _one less thing to worry about. _Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Ron doing the same, albeit in a slightly more panicked manner. He had never had been comfortable with heights. The wind ripped at her face as she dove ever closer to the ground. At the last second, she pulled on the cord, which deployed the parachute. She came to a screeching halt as the fabric slowed her descent remarkably. She would even say it was down to a crawl. Her legs dangled out below her as he mind began to run over the possibilities. How could she co-ordinate a rescue effort with the locals? Sure, she could risk her life and go in deep, but she had no way of breathing in the thick smoke. She would have to liberate two from local firemen. However, she doubted that the emergency responders would be so willing to give up their life-saving gear, even to a world-famous super-spy.

"Think this has got anything to do with our mystery thieves?" Ron shouted as he sailed alongside her. _Crap, _she thought as she tucked her legs into her chest. _I never thought of that! There was a clear possibility of a mystic connection, _she thought as she remembered her encounter with Warhok, a lethal Alien warlord who had nearly destroyed the entire planet, out of revenge against her. She had fought her hardest against the brute, but that was hardly enough. In the end, it had taken the combined efforts of Dr. Drakken, Shego, herself and Ron to defeat the Lorwardians. _Or an alien one. If they're connected, _she thought as she landed on the ground, and rolled to stop. While the two seemed to be too large of a co-incidence at the moment, she could not let that be the trail she followed without further proof.

"What's going on here?" she demanded as she slipped off her parachute with practiced ease. To her left was a man with no shirt helping an old injured woman with large, round glasses into one of the boats. He was the only one who either seemed to hear her, or the only one who cared enough to answer her question. Kim could see the effects the day had had on the man already even through the blackened air. First-degree burns covered the left side of his upper torso, as well as a portion of his left cheek. But even from the small sampling, she could tell that he was one of the ones who was better-off as far as injuries went.

"The volcanoes!" the man replied as he waved towards the towering formations. "One by one! They all began to act up! The fire," he continued as he lowered his tone, and Ron came to her side. "its….unnatural. I've lived here all my life, and never seen it act like this." He said as four firemen carried an overweight man on a stretcher towards the bots. "It…I don't like to say this but, it's like it's _targeting_ people's homes…" he continued as his eyes trailed up the side of the mountain. His eyes dilated in terror as he fixated on a single spot, and pointed. "NO!" he cried as he broke into a desperate sprint, back towards the flames.

"Follow him!" Kim shouted, not having any better plan at the moment. As she ran, she activated her wrist Kimunicator, which immediately connected her to Wade, back on the mainland. "Wade!" she hollered as she ducked under a burning tree, which had fallen against a building.

"Kim?" Wade's voice answered sheepishly, "what-?"

"Long story short," she cut in as she leaped over some fallen burning debris. "Hawaii's on fire. All the volcanoes have erupted, according to the locals," she relayed as flames sprung up to her left, nearly singing Ron as he ran beside her. "Contact Global Justice, see if they can send in some help. Team Go as well," she said as she vaulted over the hood of an abandoned car. "Anyone, we need to get this Island evacuated. Send out a distress call to any favours we have in the area," Kim finished as she rounded a corner, and was confronted with an unexpected sight. A towering brutish monster, wielding an axe. A pair of horns grew out of the side of its head. The creature was also well-muscled, with thick bands across its chest and arms, covered only in thick, scaly skin. Kim took one look at the creature, and gulped. There was no mistaking the fact that it was unnatural, and possibly connected to the break-in at the museum. She wasted no time in ducking under the beast's legs as Ron dove to the side, out of the way of the swinging axe. Kim went with the beast's motion, and used it against her opponent, striking it in the kneecap with a powerful blow. One which only mildly annoyed the beast, it seemed. She back-flipped out of the way of a sweeping strike as Ron managed to strike it in the temple. That blow seemed to have more of an effect. Perhaps the beast was not as well protected up there. She went with this theory, and spun her body around in a perfect arc, connecting a blow with the monster's jaw, and planting a foot on its shoulder simultaneously. She pushed upwards, and grabbed onto the horns with both hands. From there, she held on tight as she squeezed her legs together around the beast's neck. Meanwhile, down below, Ron struck the beast's rib-cage with a powerful series of kicks and punches. The monster bucked and thrashed, doing its best to eek out a defense as it begun to run out of air. Which was good, because she didn't know how much longer she could hold on. Eventually, the creature collapsed under its own weight as it just gave up. Before she hit the ground, Kim leaped off, to safety.

Relative safety. As they were soon surrounded by three more of the beasts. One carried a spear. The other two carried swords. And they all looked as fierce as the one who had come before them. The one in the lead roared hard as it lowered it's head, and charged. Acting with perfect coordination, the duo met the charge head-on. Kim slid under its feet, tripping it as Ron leaped onto the beast's back, using it like a springboard and kicking the second in the face. Acting fast, Kim wrapped up the leader's legs tightly, preventing it from getting back up. As soon as she was finished, the third beast charged her with its spear. She stepped to the side, and grabbed the weapon and wretched it from the creature's hands with force before smacking it on the side of the head with its own weapon.

"What the hell are these things?" Kim bellowed as she wheeled around, seeing four more beasts making their way towards them.

"I have no idea!" Ron replied, as Kim looked over her shoulder. She could see five more moving in from the left. Making for a total of nine monsters. As well as the first one they had downed, which was beginning to stir slightly. She knew that if they stayed were they were, they would be overrun eventually. And she was already beginning to feel the exhaustion in her arms and legs. No doubt Ron was feeling the very same. Her tiredness was so great that she was to slow to fully dodge an incoming blow. The beast's elbow grazed her midsection, and that was enough to send her sprawling on the ground. A follow-up blow landed on her shoulder, dislocating it upon impact.

She struggled to roll out of the way of a fatal blow, barely missing the swinging blade as she got to her feet. Hastily, she re-set her injured shoulder, knowing it would need to be looked at eventually. But now was not the time to be concerned with such minor injuries. Right now, she needed to focus on her objective: Figuring out what was going on here. She tried to refocus her mind as she slapped away one beast's fist with a swift kick. Beside her, Ron wielded a flaming wooden spar, keeping four of the creatures back with long, sweeping strikes. But still, there was no way they could keep things up for long. Slowly, but surely, they were being forced back against a brick wall. No matter how much she kicked and punched, there was no respite from the unrelenting assault. More beasts came in, to replace the ones that they took out.

"_zzcczzzccKimffzzzttt!_" her Kimmunicator buzzed, with Wade's voice. Obviously, the device must be experiencing some interference from the amount of smoke in the air. That, or it had been damaged in the melee. _"ffccckkk_I'm_ssccckkk_trange energy read_inkkss…" _Wade's voice cut out completely as the device went silent. Not that she really had time to contemplate it, as she was in the process of ducking under a crude sword. She was about to deliver an uppercut to its jaw, when a blast of plasma struck it in the chest. Two more struck the flanking beasts, coming from over their shoulders. Kim and Ron spun around, ready to face some new threat.

_"__Mei Choopa!" _In their place, stood a diminutive alien. Its head didn't reach Kim's waist, but it snarled with confidence that defied its stature. She could tell that it was alien, due to the deep blue skin, dark oval eyes, antenna running down its back, and six limbs. Four of which held pistol-like weapons. All of which were pointed at the brutish creatures. Whatever this little alien was, Kim counted it as an ally for the time being.

A roar brought her back to reality, causing her to spin around and face another of the creatures. Before she could get off a strike, however, a young woman wearing dark green robes leaped over her head, and struck the beast with a staff-like weapon. The young warrior then spun her weapon around in her hands, driving the beast back, as Kim struck another, which was coming up on the left side. This brought her in close proximity to Ron, who still carried the burning spar, using it to great effect.

"This makes my top ten," Kim admitted as she swept the legs out from one beast.

"Top ten what?" Ron replied as he stabbed outwards.

"Weirdest days ever," Kim half-smirked as she parried a blow wither fist, and countered with a blow to the stomach, crippling her opponent. "We need to think about getting-". She was cut off by a different roar. This one was much louder, and much fiercer. And it was accompanied by an overhead shadow, which swooped low over their heads. Kim and Ron both looked at one another, terrified. The blue Alien seemed indifferent, as it continued to blast away at brutes. The robed woman, however, looked pleased. And that meant she was distracted. Too distracted to see the axe-wielding monster coming up behind her. But Kim saw it coming, and tackled the woman out of the way just in time.

But she was not fast enough to avoid the much faster, better rested brute, who planted its foot on Kim's injured shoulder. The sheer weight that was pressing down on her body threatened to end it all, but that was not meant to be the case. The shadow re-appeared, this time swooping down low to the ground. In an instant, the shadowy figure struck the brute, sending them both careening to the side in a flurry of claws, skin and fire. As they fought, yet another figure appeared, this one being smaller than the others. The size of a man. But he was no mere man.

Hellish-looking armour covered his entire body. A flaming sword was in his hand. And though he was smaller than all, save the blue alien, his presence dwarfed them immensely. His eyes blazed with cold fury as he stared down his enemies. This was a man not to be trifled with, Kim knew as much.

"Were is it?" the man demanded as he pointed his sword in their direction. His voice was like steel. Human, yet devoid of any emotion except hatred. His sword moved to each present, accusingly. Kim had a gut feeling that this man was behind the Island's current predicament, as well as the robbery. Though, once more, she refused to ignore other possibilities that might present themselves. "The compass. Where did you take it?" _So they were after the compass, _Kim thought as she balled her hands into fists. _But he doesn't have it. So that means more than one party must-_

"Yo dude," a voice quipped from the side, were the two monsters had crashed and made a hole in the wall. "You really need some new help," the voice continued as one of the towering brutes was thrown out of the hole, unconscious or dead. The voice, it turned out, belonged to that of a bipedal red dragon.

"Okay, scratch that," Kim sighed as she assumed a fighting stance beside her situational allies. "This really _is _the weirdest day of my life." Beside her, the woman in green robes nodded, as the blue alien readied all four of its weapons. Ron stood on her other side, with a smirk on his lips. Despite everything, it was comforting to know that he still had her back. Even among everything else.

"My patience grows thin," the man snarled as he gripped his flaming sword more tightly. "Surrender it to me, or die."

"_Meeshka Ganeeesha!" _the little blue alien snapped playfully as it fired off a series of three shots. The man in black armour dodged the first two, and parried the third with his sword. His expression changed only slightly. It went from neutral to slightly annoyed. And with the level of power this guy seemed to be radiating, Kim knew that they had to end things quickly. Very quickly.

"You said it little buddy," the dragon smirked, seconds before bursting forward in a powerful charge. One which was over before it started, Kim saw that. The man in black armour stepped to the side, and sliced his blade across the Dragon's belly. There was a flash of blood. And a course yell, as the woman in green robes twirled her staff in the air, aiming for the black-armoured man's head. She never got close, however.

The man in black armour grabbed her wrists in midair, and twisted the weapon out of her hands. He then proceeded to strike her in the ribs with his knee, before tossing her to the side, like she wasn't even there. The little blue alien snarled, and shot off several rounds, as Ron cried out something indiscernible into the air. Kim, however, did her best to present a moving target. She flipped and spun her way around the armoured man as something rumbled in the distance. More and more fires were sprouting up around them. Within minutes, they would be completely surrounded. Yet all their efforts seemed to do nothing. Kim couldn't close the distance between herself and the man in armour, and even if she did, there was no way she'd withstand that sword. It had, after all, managed to slice through Dragon-hide.

Then she saw him.

Ron Stoppable.

Encased in blueish energy.

Running towards the man in armour.

With a gleaming silver sword in his hand.

The Lotus Blade!

Her mind whirled as she came to a conclusion. Ron was harnessing his latent Mystical Monkey powers, giving him the speed and strength he needed. And combined with the legendary sword in his hand, he must be attempting to defeat the villain through sheer force. And against most enemies, Kim would have thought this possible. But at the moment, she was not so sure. The best she hoped for was that he would come out of the engagement alive.

As the two warriors met, there was a brilliant flash of colour. Silver and red sparks lit up the area as webs of steel formed around the two. Bright, brilliant colours played out in a deadly show. Ron was displaying more power and skill than ever before. He was working the sword up and around his enemy with deadly force. When he struck, it was as if a musical note was strung from the most beautiful violin in the world.

His footwork was superb. Back and forth he went, completely at ease with his entire motion. He would parry, then counter with a powerful strike almost faster than her eyes could see. Sparks continued to fly as his furious struggle grew. Every blow was faster and stronger than the last. But soon, the battle began to play out. While Ron was faster and stronger than his enemy, the black-armoured man was more skilled, and more powerful. Ron never really stood a chance.

With a single flick of his wrist, the black armoured man sent out a ball of fire, which struck Ron in the chest, and sent him flying back as a huge shadow encompassed them all. Kim looked up as a huge glob of plasma struck the man in black armour head-on. A large, red-and-white ship was hovering over them. A ramp was lowered, and there stood the man she had seen earlier, wielding what looked like a canon-version of the blue alien's weapons.

"We have got to go!" the shirtless man shouted to all below, as he stretched out a hand. Kim was reluctant to take it, as she looked back down. She saw Ron's prone form being scooped up by the Dragon, who also carried the green-robed girl up into the air with laboured wing-strokes. It was only when she saw that he was headed for the ramp that she took the man's hand. And once the Dragon landed beside her, she grabbed Ron from its shoulder, and helped him into the belly of the ship. "Jumba!" the shirtless man shouted, "go! Now!"

"_Aye,"_ A heavily-accented voice replied, from what she assumed was the ship's cockpit. "Full thrusters, please!" The ship rocked forward as Kim set Ron down on the side of the wall. Beside them, the Dragon set down the green-robed girl, before becoming encased in greenish smoke. And once the smoke cleared, in its place stood a Chinese-American boy, who looked to be around seventeen years old. A deep cut showed along his chest. It looked painful, but not fatal. If he could get to a hospital in a few hours, he would be fine. Maybe he would even walk away without a scar.

"Rose?" the boy asked the green-robed girl, who coughed feebly.

"Yeah," the girl replied as she reached into the folds of her garb, and produced a small box tied to a string. "Yeah, Jake. I got the compass for you."


End file.
